Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: which is the right one for me?
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So here’s the deal, I write a lot. I have a lot of stories ready for publishing and the one question I keep running across is – should I go the traditional route or should I be bold and self publish it?
As some of you may know, I self published my first book, Grimmest Things, last year, so I’ve had a bit of experience in the field. I also did all the editing, proofing, cover design all that by myself, and I can tell you it’s a lot of work. Like a lot. We’ll be taking about the editing process in another post but for now, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of both self publishing and traditional publishing.
So, first self publishing. The good?
Well, you get your say in everything. There’s no one looking over your shoulder, saying ‘oh but you can’t write this’ or ‘maybe we should cut this bit out, even though you think this bit should stay’. So, all those ideas you’ve got about what it should look like? You get to put them all to good use. You do it your way, as ole Frankie would say.
The bad side of that is… you get to do it your way. See, thing is, sometimes that extra pair of eyes is actually really helpful, it gives you a more detached view of things and it might give you some useful insight. So, if you self-publish, I would definitely recommend having a close friend or someone whose opinion you value look over the manuscript and give you some honest feedback.
Okay, number two, you get to keep more of the royalties. This of course varies from country to country, but in the US, for example, a writer can expect to get anywhere from 8 to 12 percent of the price of a sold book, depending on things like, you know, how many copies they sell, whether it’s in paperback or hardcover etc. And a lot of countries have similar rates, so if your shelf price is 10 dollars, you would only get around one dollar, if that. Of course, some publishing houses offer advances and that’s a completely different thing, again, varies a lot from place to place, but the bottom line is, you would save a lot of cash by going to self publishing route, because you wouldn’t have to pay as much to the publisher.
If you self publish on, say, Amazon, you get to choose between a 40% royalty or a 60% royalty off the price of your book, so considerably more. For example, the paperback version of my book sells at 8.99, out of which I technically get 60%, which is something like 5.70, but I’ve gotta subtract the printing costs, which actually leaves me with something like 2 dollars, which isn’t a lot, but it’s a lot more than I’d get from a traditional publishing house.
At a real publishing, with a rate of 10% royalty, I’d only get 90 cents.
And for Kindle versions, when you self publish, you get to choose between a 35% or a 70% royalty. So, with the 70% plan, out of one e-book that goes for 4.75, I get something like 2.70, which is quite alright.
So the idea is, you get to keep more money as a self publisher.
But this brings me to my third and most important point – marketing. When you’re working with a traditional publisher, they will obviously distribute your book to bookstores, they might even schedule a book signing session or send you on a book tour, do some sort of bookstore appearance that will help you sell a lot more books.
And besides, they’ve got a name. You don’t. For example, if a stranger has to choose between a self-published book by John Doe and one put out by say Random House, they will probably go with Random, because they think that guarantees quality, which of course is debatable, there’s no guarantee a traditionally published book won’t be bad or vice versa, that a self published one won’t be amazing, so don’t let that discourage you.
The problem with marketing is that it’s very difficult to do on your own, you’ve got to put in the hours to connect with people over social media, to build an Instagram presence and a Twitter presence and all that, you’ve got to reach out to dozens of book bloggers who won’t even bother responding. you’ll have to think up promotions, create engaging artwork which will take away a lot from your main focus, which is writing. And assuming you also have a job going or you’re a student or whatever, it will be really hard to do. You have to work a lot and get very lucky, as a self-published author, to really make a difference.
So, to wrap up, should you self-publish or try to find a traditional publisher?
Well, I’m afraid there’s no one answer-fits-all. It really depends on what you want to do with the book. If you just want to see your book published, if it’s more of a personal thing, a personal achievement, then I suggest you self publish through something like Amazon or Draft2Digital.
Word of caution, never ever go to a vanity publisher, you know, those people who ask for money to publish your book. You should never have to pay to have your book published. Ever.
But if you want to write more seriously, if you’re maybe thinking about building a career in writing, I would strongly suggest trying a traditional publisher, they just have the reach and the strategy and the contacts to help you make it.
Although I will say that self publishing is a very interesting and useful experience for a starting out author such as myself, so if you want to go that way initially, go for it. And if you do try with traditional publishing and get rejected, just remember that’s perfectly normal. Everyone gets rejected and if you feel you’ve got something worth saying and if you think your book is perfect as it is, then self publish it, you know?
If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will.
Sooo…what’s your experience? Let me know in the comments! Also, feel free to share this article with your writer friends:
